Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Television: Licensing

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to ensure that households with people over the age of 75 entitled to, but not in receipt of, pension credit exercise their entitlement to that benefit and continue to receive free TV licences.

lord ashton of hyde: The Government agreed with the BBC at the 2015 funding settlement that responsibility for the over 75s licence fee concession transfers to the BBC from June 2020. The BBC has decided to restrict the concession to those over 75 in receipt of Pension Credit, and has outlined a number of measures to keep those affected informed and encourage take up of Pension Credit. These measures include running outreach events and a public information campaign, and working with older people’s groups, charities and voluntary organisations. The Secretary of State told the House on 11 June that he will discuss with the BBC further measures the BBC can implement to help older pensioners, including promoting take up of Pension Credit.

Television: Licensing

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the decision by the BBC to abolish free TV licences for people over 75, whether they intend to cease to provide funding to that organisation.

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any change to the consumption of TV and radio content; and whether they intend to abolish the TV licence fee.

lord ashton of hyde: The BBC is a world-class broadcaster and a cultural institution producing some of the best television and radio in the world. As the Secretary of State said in the House on 12 June 2019: ’the BBC is a fundamental part of the social and economic fabric of this country. It is important for people of all ages, but particularly older people who value television as a way to stay connected with the world’. The Licence Fee is part of a funding settlement agreed with the BBC as part of the Royal Charter. The Government has committed to maintain the licence fee funding model for the BBC for the duration of the new 11 year Charter period, which began in 2017.

Department for Transport

High Speed One: Shareholders

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whichcurrent shareholders of HS1 hold more thanfive per cent of the shares; and what changes to the shareholding have been made since the sale of shares by them and the government of France.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government auctioned the concession to operate the network in 2010, to HS1 Ltd. HS1 Ltd was owned by Borealis Infrastructure and the Canadian Teachers’ Pension Plan, two Canadian pension funds until it was sold in 2017.Original ownership profileBorealis (50%)Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (50%)New ownership profileEquitix – 35% and InfraRedKorean Pension Fund (30%)HICL (21.8%)Others (13.2%)

Department for Education

Children: Day Care

baroness mcgregor-smith: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to change the provision of free childcare for children from when they are born.

lord agnew of oulton: The government is committed to making childcare more affordable and more accessible. We plan to spend around £3.5 billion on our early education entitlements this year alone – more than any previous government. All 3 and 4-year-olds and the most disadvantaged 2-year-olds can access 15 hours a week of early education. From September 2017, this government doubled the childcare entitlement for eligible working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds to 30 hours a week. Tax-Free Childcare provides additional financial help from government to help with any additional costs, worth up to £2,000 per child per year for children under 12 (or up to £4,000 per year for disabled children under 17). Those parents in receipt of Universal Credit can claim up to 85% of their childcare costs. The Childcare Choices website supports families’ understanding of what might be available to them. This can be found at: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. The government has no plans to extend the package of free childcare to children from birth.